John Player Classic
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Established | 1970 |
| Course(s) | Turnberry (1972–73) Notts Golf Club (Hollinwell) (1970) |
| Tour(s) | European Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Final year | 1973 |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 285 Bob Charles (1972) |
| To par | −2 Christy O'Connor Snr (1970) |
| Final champion | |
 Charles Coody | |
The John Player Classic was the richest golf tournament in Britain between 1970 and 1973. In 1972 and 1973 it was an event on the fledgling European Tour.
The John Player Classic was first played in 1970 at Notts Golf Club (Hollinwell), when Ireland's Christy O'Connor Snr triumphed by one stroke over England's Tony Jacklin to collect the £25,000 first prize.[1] Having not been held in 1971, the tournament returned as part of the new European Tour in 1972. It also had a change of venue, being moved to Turnberry on the west coast of Scotland.
The tournament was played just once more, in 1973, when American Charles Coody took the title. It was cancelled the following year because of conflicting tournament schedules in the United States.[2]
Winners
| Year | Winner | Country | Venue | Score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Winner's share (£) |
Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Charles Coody |  United States |
Turnberry | 289 (+5) | 3 strokes |  Tony Jacklin |
15,000 | [3] |
| 1972 | Bob Charles |  New Zealand |
Turnberry | 285 (+1) | 1 stroke | Gay Brewer Peter Oosterhuis |
15,000 | [4] |
| 1971: No tournament | ||||||||
| 1970 | Christy O'Connor Snr |  Ireland |
Notts Golf Club | 286 (−2) | 1 stroke | Tony Jacklin |
25,000 | [5] |
References
- ^ "O'Connor Captures Player Golf Classic". Schenectady Gazette. Associated Press. 7 September 1970. p. 23.
- ^ "Golf". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 6 March 1974. p. 6D.
- ^ "Another British tournament goes to a foreigner". The Glasgow Herald. 1 October 1973. p. 7.
- ^ "Why victory matter more to Charles than £15,000". The Times. 2 October 1972. p. 11.
- ^ "O'Connor holds off Jacklin and wins £25,000". The Glasgow Herald. 7 September 1970. p. 4.